A Hollow Cry
by Quig Alchemist
Summary: Oneshot. It's Orihime's birthday, and Ichigo forgot about it. In a desperate attempt to make her smile, he decides to give her Kon as a present. Things continue to get worse as he can't find Rukia when he gets home...


First off, I wanna dedicate this to my good buddy Mr. Oreo. He's the best and this story was written for him! (hope I did a good job!) Second, I don't own Bleach, so don't sue me…if that happened, I wouldn't be able to write anymore…

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A Hollow Cry

"Good morning Ichigo!" A cheery girl sang, as she waved to him eagerly.

"Oh, hey Orihime!" The boy answered as he strolled in through the classroom door. He wore the same school uniform as always with a pack slung over his right shoulder. Ichigo had the familiar scowl set on his face, but seeing Orihime's cheerfulness with a tad more spunk than usual, caused even as stony a face as his to crack a sly smile.

"Isn't this a great day?" She continued, smiling brightly.

"Uh yeah…" _Why is she so much happier…?_ Then it hit Ichigo. _Today's…today's Orihime's birthday! Oh crap! I completely forgot! _His face washed pale, and he gritted his teeth in an awkward smile.

"What's the matter Ichigo?" She asked innocently, noticing his odd expression.

"Happy Birthday!" He burst out in a strange, almost forced tone suddenly.

"Oh, you remembered!" Her grin seemed to grow wider with every passing moment.

"Yeah, I just kind of left my gift outside…to…to surprise you!" He smiled unsurely, taking a couple of steps back to the door. "Be right back!"

Ichigo ran down the hall, nearing the privacy of the men's restroom. He flung open the door and skidded on the slick floor tiles. A stall near the end appeared to be vacant, so the frantic soul reaper locked himself inside while slamming down the toilet bowl's lid. He pulled the pack from his shoulder and took no extra time in slinging it down upon the pearly white thrown.

"Kon!" Ichigo screamed, unzipping the bag violently, as a tan colored animal poked his head out sleepily.

"What is it Ichigo?" The drowsy stuffed lion yawned. He scratched his head and blinked his little black eyes.

"I need you to do me a favor…" Ichigo glanced around uncertainly.

"Okaaay."

"I need you to be Orihime's birthday present."

"What?" Ichigo picked up Kon and stared him strait in the eye.

"Please Kon." He pleaded with desperation.

"Wait…Do you mean _her_?" Kon's eyes glazed over with a slight drool. "That girl with a jackpot of a chest?" His voice rose excitedly as he anxiously awaited the boy's reply.

"Yes, that's her, but you can't…"

"Ichigo? Who are you talking to?" The two in the stall heard another voice in the bathroom exclaim. Ichigo began to sweat as recognized the voice to be one of his rather annoying classmates Keigo.

"Uh, I'm just…just rehearsing…"

"But I thought I heard two people." Keigo protested curiously. "Your not doing anything _dirty _in there are you?" Ichigo heard the excited patter of footsteps outside the door, as Keigo jiggled the lock of the stall.

"Leave me alone Keigo!" The boy with the bright orange hair and a rather ticked off face nearly punched the door off its hinges, knocking Keigoback, as well as the breath from his chest.

"Sorry…" The injured boy replied weakly from the fetal position on the floor.

"Next time I tell you something, you better believe it!"

Ichigo made his way back down the hallway, tying a bright red bow around Kon's neck.

"Now you can't do anything weird. You know, like talk or move. You must strictly be stuffed animal." Ichigo instructed, as Kon nodded vigorously from the crook of his arm.

"I got all that but do I really have to wear the bow?"

"Yes! Just deal with it!"

Ichigo strode back into the classroom, and they saw everyone sitting around talking without much to do. The teacher was obviously late today; attendance had never been taken so late without good reason. Orihime stood nearby talking to her friend Tatsuki by her desk.

"Uh, Orihime?" Ichigo began quietly.

"Oh, hey Ichigo!" She smiled brightly again and then gave a curious look to the tan colored animal in his arm. "Is that for me?" Ichigo smiled slightly and handed Kon to Orihime.

"Happy Birthday." He said again, this time he meant it and had much more control to his voice. She squealed with delight and clutched the small lion to her chest. She squeezed Kon so tight that she nearly suffocated him.

"Thank you _so _much Ichigo!" Orihime then embraced the completely unsuspecting boy into a hug.

"Y-you're welcome." Ichigo then found himself blushing a slight shade of pink. He could also here Kon choking between their two bodies, even though he was sure that the lion would be enjoying every moment of it. "Knock it off Kon…" He mumbled threateningly.

"What?" The girl said quickly, immediately breaking her hold on Ichigo.

"Nothing…um, glad you like your present!" He chuckled nervously and dug his hands into his pockets. Orihime nodded in an embarrassed way and quickly scampered away as the teacher came in with a mad rush. The girl glanced back to Ichigo only once as he settled down at his desk, her face brushed with a hot pink tint. Ichigo noticed this and suddenly became very interested in the deep-grained wood of his desktop.

"Welcome home Ichigo!" Yuzu said cheerfully, as her brother bounded in through the door.

"Hey Yuzu." Ichigo jumped up the stairs, two at a time. He waved dismissively at his little sister and quickly opened his bedroom door. "Rukia!" He quickly scanned the room, but with no luck, he leaped over to the closet. "Rukia! Are you in there?"

No Answer.

"Rukia!" Ichigo yelled, pounding his fist on the door. He cautiously slid back door, but the girl wasn't there. Ichigo sighed and flopped onto his bed. _Why does she always have to disappear when I need her? Oh well, she has to come back eventually…I guess I'll go take a shower in the meantime. _

Ichigo then proceeded to the bathroom and took a steaming hot shower. He let the water flow over his skin, and he scrubbed his hair squeaky clean. The boy turned off the water, and drew back the shower curtain. He wrapped a towel around his midsection and rubbed his face dry.

"Ichigo, we've got a hollow!"

"What the hell?" Ichigo shrieked, as the raven-haired soul reaper flung open the bathroom door in front of him. The shock of her sudden entrance caused him to lose his grip on the towel, and it fell to the floor in a wet splat. Ichigo's face turned a beet red, as he was completely speechless.

"What are you doing? We've got a huge hollow…!" Rukia began, but as her eyes traveled down his form, still glistening from water, all she could do was stare openmouthed.

"G-get out Rukia!"

"Are you ready now?" Rukia said smugly with a sly smile. She sat on the corner of Ichigo's bed and tapped her foot impatiently. Her soul pager beeped urgently between her fingers, as she looked to the boy reemerging from the bathroom fully clothed. Rukia stood up and held out a gloved hand with a flaming blue skull on the backside of it.

"Are you even going to apologize?" Ichigo glared at her, hands on his hips.

"Why should I?" She retaliated, narrowing her eyes. "I think hollows are _way _more important than me seeing you naked."

"What?" He screeched. "You don't just burst in on someone! _Especially _when it's the bathroom!" Ichigo curled his fingers into a tight fist and shook it in the girl's face angrily. Rukia rolled her eyes, not intimidated, and thrust an open palm up through his irritated visage. Ichigo's soul tumbled across the floor, hitting his head on the door, and his body went limp.

"Sorry." Rukia said plainly, catching his lifeless body. She stumbled under his weight, and looked to the soul reaper with no emotion. "Where's Kon?"

"That's what I wanted to tell you earlier…" Ichigo said through gritted teeth. He folded his arms and looked back to Rukia. "I gave him to Orihime as a birthday present." She didn't say anything for a moment, the gears clearly working in her head.

"Well then you can help me put you in your bed. It'll just look like you're asleep." They lifted Ichigo's body and laid him down, laying covers over him hastily.

"Let's go!" Rukia looked up to Ichigo who now appeared to be ready. He had unsheathed his Zanpaku-to and held it firmly over his right shoulder.

"Right." She replied with the sharp nod of her head. They both leaped out of Ichigo's bedroom window and quickly followed the hollow through the beeps of Rukia's soul pager.

Rukia gazed up at Ichigo as they ran sided by side on the street. She saw the determined look on his face and shuddered from the powerful feeling in his strong brown eyes. She quickly shook her heard and looked up the road, her stomach twisting in regret. _Maybe I should have said sorry…_

Then something to the right of the road caught her attention.

"Ichigo! Look over there! It's…Kon!" Rukia skidded to a halt in the middle of the street and pointed to a cheerful red haired girl with a stuffed animal under her arm. Ichigo stopped as well and grew pale as Orihime stared at them.

"She can't see me, right?" Ichigo whispered from the corner of his mouth. He was beginning to sweat slightly as the girl waved to them.

"She shouldn't be able to…that is unless she has extremely high spirit energy. That's nearly impossible for humans. You just happened to be different." Rukia tried not to move her mouth too much, so it wouldn't seem as if she were conversing with air.

"I don't think…" He began, but knew instantly as he was cut off, he was wrong.

"Hey Ichigo! Hey Rukia! What's with the costume?" Orihime smiled innocently and tightly squeezed Kon against her chest. Ichigo could almost imagine how much Kon was enjoying himself for the second time that day. Lucky. "I still love my present!" Orihime pressed Kon against her again for extra emphasis.

"Uh…" was all either soul reaper could muster. Then Rukia cleared her throat.

"We were just…going…"

"On a date?" Orihime offered, cocking her head to the side. Ichigo flushed and Rukia went a shade of deep crimson.

"No! No!" He said quickly, as he waved his arms wildly. Rukia though about it a moment, and then elbowed the carrot-top in the ribs.

"Actually," She said forced in thick tones, thinking quickly as she shot him a glance. "We _were_ on a date." Rukia looped her arm through her 'date's' and his face grew an even brighter hue of red.

"We _were_…?" He murmured through clenched teeth as his eyebrow twitched.

"_Yes, _but now we better be going! Tata!" She waved in an overly girlish fashion and hurriedly dragged Ichigo down the street.

During this entire time that Rukia and Ichigo squabbled as they ran down the road, Orihime was left, completely speechless. She didn't know what to think. _Ichigo and Rukia? It couldn't be…I was _sure _they didn't like each other. They sure were acting funny about it all though…_By the time she zoned back into reality, the two were gone, no where to be seen.

"What were you thinking?" Ichigo yelled, as they neared the target hollow.

"What do you mean? I was looking for any opportunity, and that one just happened to present itself!" Rukia replied smugly. "Would it be so horrible if we _were_ to go on a date together?" Ichigo blinked, confused and unable to mutter a word. "Never mind." She added quickly, but then saw it a moment later. "There!"

An enormous hollow was located in the middle of two even larger oaks in a local park. It had a white mask covering its disfigured face and had two large, flat feet. Its arms were long and red, with menacing claws on each of its hands.

Then it howled. It was a hollow cry that shook Ichigo's very foundation.

"Get back Rukia!" He shouted and sprinted forward in his sandaled feet. He raised his sword high over his head and took careful aim to split the hollow's head. This would be the most effective way to kill it.

Ichigo's feet bounced across the springy turf as he launched himself directly at the beast. He swung a finishing blow that would surely kill and…his blade passed strait through it. It was almost as if he were fighting thin air.

The boy landed on the ground, rolling once to his feet again. Looking around told him that the last hollow had only been a decoy; the real hollow was standing where he had been moments before.

"Ichigo!" A frightened voice called to him from his right. He glanced over, trying to keep his focus on the hollow, and saw Rukia with a deadly claw next to her throat. Another hollow, rather a duplicate of the previous one, was standing behind her, threatening to kill her.

"Rukia!" Ichigo yelled as he rushed to her aid. He glimpsed back and the hollow from before was still on his other side. _What's going on here? Which one's real?_ He took another swing of his large sword and was met with the same empty result.

Rukia was left trembling on her knees; her breath was short and shuddery, indicating how scared she must have just been. Her life had flashed before her eyes, and the monster disappeared in a wisp of air.

"Rukia, are you okay?" She nodded in answer, and clutched her throat, still shaking slightly. Ichigo didn't wait a second more and ran at the last of these hollows. Or at least that's what he had _hoped_. He was wrong either way, and glided through empty air a third time. The instant he cut through it, two more hollows instantly appeared in front of him.

"Argh!" Ichigo yelled in complete frustration and clenched his empty fist.

He then heard an echoing voice float to his ears.

_Only a true soul reaper can see me. _The hollow's grotesque mouth curled into a menacing sneer, mocking the orange haired boy.

Ichigo almost started another charge at the monsters, but he stopped suddenly at the sound of an ear-piercing scream. He spun around, an uneasy knot in the pit of his stomach, as he saw Orihime surrounded by two more hollows. A lethal claw was held at her throat, just as they had done to Rukia moments before. She gulped fearfully, her eyes wide with incomprehensible shock.

"Ichigo…" She whispered to him softly, still clutching Kon to her chest.

"Orihime! Hold on!" He shouted, running to her. "Don't move you're surrounded!"

"There's only one Ichigo…he's standing right behind me…" She said quietly, trying not to move. He shot her a confused look, but continued to run strait at the hollow holding the girl captive.

This time, Ichigo cleanly sliced off the hollow's arm and it shrieked in pain. It clutched its nub angrily, jumping away. It seemed to give the soul reaper a chilling glare, as it made two more decoy hollows into his path. Ichigo stopped in surprise as he swung at them, slicing the air uselessly.

"Ichigo! The monsters over there!" The birthday girl screamed out and pointed to one of the three white masked beasts.

"Huh?" He appeared to be stunned for a moment, but then glanced to Rukia for an explanation.

_Is it true…? Does Orihime have more spirit energy than both Ichigo and me? _Rukia wondered and watched the girl curiously.

"Ichigo! Listen to her! She can see through the hollow's tricks! She can see the real one!" Rukia yelled to Ichigo as he rushed to the hollow Orihime had previously indicated. He aimed for its other red-clawed arm and severed it with a lethal slice. It, once again, dissolved into the air and threw more decoys at the soul reaper.

"Over there!" Orihime shouted again. Ichigo nodded and ran in for the kill. He then firmly split the hollow's head and it disappeared for good. He grinned as he breathed heavily, leaning against his sword for support.

"Thanks Orihime." Ichigo said, walking over to the somewhat traumatized girl. Rukia came bounding up behind him, smiling curiously. Both had recovered from the fight and were prepared to deal with the new issue at hand: Orihime.

"That's amazing! You saw what neither of us could not!" Rukia praised her, and the girl beamed with pleasure.

"Well, I heard this howl coming from the park, and I wanted to see who was hurt! Nobody moans like that unless there seriously injured you know!" She smiled again, obviously thinking the entire thing were one big joke. "Then I saw you and Rukia on your date…boy, you two sure have an interesting way of dating!" She laughed at first, but when she noticed that neither of her friends joined her, she stopped suddenly.

Rukia was looking up at Ichigo uncertainly, as his face burned hot all over.

"No…I…we…!" He couldn't find the right words to dig him out of the massive hole the raven-haired soul reaper had dug them.

"Say cheese!" Rukia shouted unexpectedly and brightly flashed Orihime with the memory-replacing device. A duck's head bobbed back and forth on a spring before her gray eyes and she fell back, unconscious.

"Are you sure those things are safe?" Ichigo said, irritation entering his voice, as he caught Orihime. He picked her up, carrying her in his arms gently across the park.

"Yes, perfectly safe." She replied, clearly enjoying herself in the situation. "Besides, you wouldn't want her to remember our 'date' would you?" She smiled at him slyly, as she ran along side him.

"Good point." He agreed without hesitation. "She can't be seen if I'm holding her right?"

"Yes, your spirit energy should blanket her from human eyes as well."

"Okay. I'm going to take her home. See you back at the house." And with that, Ichigo sprinted off toward Orihime's home.

Ichigo quietly opened Orihime's bedroom window and crawled inside with her unconscious body in his arms. He knew no one would be home since she lived alone, but just to be safe, he'd rather not go in through the front door.

The soul reaper gently laid the girl on her bright pink bedspread. Her eyes were closed in a peaceful sleep and her soft breathing matched the rise and fall of her chest.

The boy was just sneaking back to the window when he was alerted by a small voice.

"Ichigo?" He whipped around and saw Orihime rubbing her light gray eyes. She slowly sat up and smiled. "That was a nice date."

_Oh no! She remembered! Rukia said it should have worked! _

"Yeah well, the date was, well…" Ichigo reeled for an explanation.

"Wonderful." Orihime finished for him. "A beautiful candle lit dinner by the river, a sunset, and a bouquet of roses…" Her voice trailed off and her crystal eyes sparkled in the darkness.

"Wait, are you talking about _our _date?" Ichigo blinked rapidly, a little confused.

"Well yeah. I never knew you could be so romantic Ichigo!" She smiled again, batting her eyes. "You're still wearing that costume are you?" He was silent, as he swallowed back a comment.

Then Orihime yawned.

"I guess I'm tired after such a great day." She lay back down and turned over to her side. Her eyes began to close and her reddish hair flopped over her face.

"Goodnight Orihime." Ichigo said softly as he crept out the window. She smiled at those two words and fell deeply into a pleasant sleep.

As Ichigo ran back down the street toward his own house, he thought about his so called 'dates' of the day and had to grin. _Aren't I the lucky guy to go out with two girls on the same day, and not remember either of them! _

The End

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Yeah, tis a lovely little story. I know it was kind of a long one-shot, but hey, this was my first Bleach story so I can do what I please. Hope you like what you read and that you will review as well! Thanks!

-Quig-


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